Day 11: SMILE

Emotions can break any sort of barrier, whether it be gender, race, caste, class, nationality or language. I am new to Boston, and slowly getting to know local people here through work. I have to say, internally I am struggling to feel the ownership towards this new place. I am in a constant conflict regarding my belongingness here. It is my home, but yet not my real home. I wonder if all immigrants go through this emotional tension, I believe it is a fight that every immigrant fight every day with themselves. Seeking to belong!

However, emotions I say do seem to break barriers. Amidst my efforts to belong to this new world, today at work, I rather had a wonderful moment which really lifted up my heart. Two old women entered the store to order some coffee. They are I assume around their nineties. Just to order two packs of coffee, she took out a piece of paper and in the cutest way asked for assistance. My heart melted. She gave the warmest smile, I have ever seen since I moved to the US. Her smile immediately triggered a memory of my late grandma, their smile evidently pure and true. No trace of difference in race, class, nationality or language did I observe in that moment between us. It was that exchange of pure smile, it made my day!

On the other hand, however, I need to study but I am doing everything else but study. Yeah.. that’s how my self-discipline practice is going on. This self-discipline thing is difficult.